The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-07-16

ment he gave her up he would begin
to love her more fiercely than ever
Matters stood thus when she fell i'll,
and then all his resolutions and mar
riage laws went flying to the winds.
His anxiety excluded every thing but
the sickening dread that she might
die. For time her life certainly did
hang upon thread.
One lovely morning during her con-
valescence he took her for ride. 1t
was the first time she had been permit
ted to leave her room, and it was with
many instructions for her care and
safety that he was finally permitted to
drive her away.
Where shall we goP he inquired of
the white figure muffied to the chin in
shawls.
ITO the country" she replied,
"where there are woods and farms,
and where we can get some milk and
wild flowers"
al am not going to permit you
to wear yourself out by tramp
ing through the woods, my young
lady so make up your mind to it, he
returned, firmly. ~ don't object to
the farm and the milk, but / veto the
flowers"
So resolved, he drove out of the little
town, selecting the smoothest roads,
and neglecting not the slightest oppor-
tunity to administer to her comfort.
(And now comes the question how l
know all this, sitting upon the piazza
of the Ocean Beach Hotel, straining my
ears to hear what Mrs. Brunoughs is
saying about her maids lover almost
soaring her to death the night before.
The answer is simple. l had it direct
from Miss Penhyrn's delightfully."- To-
quacious old grandma.)
THAT'S a pretty snug farm in yon-
der, don't you thinkp" he asked, after
a long pause.
Il came especially to get wild
flowers" pouted the invalid, "and if
| can't get what l want would rather
90 home" Whereupon the inexora-
BILE Mr.. Brand turned directly into the
woods, and assisting her to alight set
off by her side in quest of the flowers
she coveted. But her strength didn't
equal her perversity. She had taken only
a few PAGES when she staggered and
would have fallen, had not her watch
full companion caught her in his arms.
at was my slipper" she gasped,
when she could get her breath; 'it
trippcd me. See!'' she held out tiny,
shoeless foot Mr.. Brand stopped and
picked up the slipper, and in the act of
readjusting it espied the neatest,
trimmest and most ravishing of darns
in the toe of the pretty stocking!
Upon how small hinge hangs our
destiny! The discovery of that darn
produced tumult of remorse in his
heart. He had unjustly condemned
her; she was not untidy. She was not
helpless. She was housewife. Who
but one could effect a darn like that.
She was not void of talent On the
contrary, she was the most gifted of
women. Nothing less than an artist
could produce such handiwork She
did possess charm without ostentation;
for when had she ever boosted of her
ingenuityP Neither was she vain for
vanity could not have kept silent. To
crown all, she was deep, insomuch
that she knew how to keep her own
counsel
She was the paragon! the ideal All
of which flashed through his mind in
the space of a single minute. In the
next he had asked her to be his wife.
The wedding was celebrated the fol-
lowing winter at her home in New
York. When it was over and they
were alone together in the carriage
which whirled them over the streets
toward the ferry, he said:
"Do you want to hear secret, Mrs
Brandt"
"a secretP"
Eyes, a secret! but one you must
promise never to divulge."
"Of course do. Tell me"
"Do you want to know how it was
that came to ask you to marry me
that day in the woods, when you
slipped and fell straight into my
armsP"
"Oh, yes"
"Well, it was all on account of the
darn that l saw in the toe of your
stocking"
Really"
"ReallyW
"Then 1 must write and tell her at
once"
Tell whoP"
"Grandmamma."
"What has she to do with ftp"
"She darned it."-Ltl.iGH Spencer,